Specialities

Gastroenterology

Gastroenterology (MeSH heading)is the branch of medicine focused on the digestive system and its disorders. In the United States, gastroenterology is an internal medicine sub-speciality certified by the American Board of Internal Medicine (ABIM) and the American Osteopathic Board of Internal Medicine (AOBIM).

Diseases affecting the gastrointestinal tract, which include the organs from mouth to anus, along the alimentary canal, are the focus of this speciality. Physicians practising in this field are called gastroenterology. They have usually completed eight years of premedical and medical education, a yearlong intern-ship (if this is not a part of the residency), three years of an internal medicine residency, and two to three years in the gastroenterology fellowship. Some gastroenterology trainees will complete a "fourth-year" (although this is often their 7th year of graduate medical education) in transplant hepatology, advanced endoscopy, inflammatory bowel disease (IBD), motility or other topics.